This ancient bell tower was built on unstable grounds over seven centuries ago, yet with a 3.99-degree slant, it still stands today. Over a thousand tourists travel to see this architectural anomaly annually and this year I became one of them.
However, the incredible architecture doesn’t stop at the leaning tower. After we took in the natural beauty of the tower we turned our attention to the other buildings, statues and monuments in the surrounding area. Since they weren’t quite as famous as the leaning tower of Pisa we didn’t know what the other buildings were until we came across some large signs with information. The signs explained that there are four main sites in Pisa and each one of them is an architectural masterpiece. There is the Pisa baptistery, the Pisa cathedral, the leaning tower and the Camposanto Monumentale.
One train ride to the Pisa San Rossore station and a quick walk later we had the famous tower in our sights.
The weather was dreary with on again off again rain, but it didn’t stop the crowds of tourists and it was easy to understand why. Seeing an almost two-hundred-foot tower actually tilting over is pretty cool, to say the least.
Tourists were everywhere, all attempting to get a perfect picture with the tower. Of course, we didn’t hesitate to join in as we snapped photos of each other leaning, kicking and booty bumping the tower.
Designed by architects Bonanno Pisano, Gherardo di Gherardo, Giovanni Pisano and Giovanni di Simon the famous monument reflects a typical medieval European style. Construction on the white marble tower began in 1173 and took 177 years to complete with a total of 211 Romanesque style semi-circular arches.
While we skipped out because of the bad weather, if you’re brave enough the climb the 296 steps to the top tickets can be purchased online in advance.
We made a quick stop at the tourist center for some more information about the tower. We learned from Giulia at the information station that, “Currently, the tower leans at 3.99 degrees but in 1990 the tower was the worst it’s ever been, leaning at 5.44 degrees.
Engineers were afraid it would topple over so a three-year long restoration project began to stabilize the tower.”
Here are some other fun facts we learned about the tower.
Pisa translates to marshland
The word Pisa comes from the Greek word meaning “marshy land”. Which seems like the perfect place to build a tower, huh?
The tower was once a military base
During World War II the Germans claimed the monument and began using it as a lookout point. In 1944 American soldiers were ordered to destroy any enemy lookout points but were so in awe of the beauty of the tower decided not to level the area.
The bells haven’t rung in over a century
The leaning tower is home to seven large bells. Each bell weights approximately 8,000 pounds and represents a different musical note. Engineers are afraid ringing the heavy bells will endanger the towers current stability so they no longer ring.
Galileo may have experimented here
Galileo’s famous gravity experiment is said to have taken place a top of the leaning tower of Pisa. Believers claiming this is where Galileo dropped two spheres and discovered that the objects fell with the same acceleration.
The tower is stable… for now
The tower has undergone many different attempts over the last few centuries to straighten, stabilize or fix the tower. However, the 1999- 2001 restoration project was the first to succeed in stabilizing the tower. While it is possible for the tower to continue to move, engineers estimate the stability will continue for the next 200 years. After that, all bets are off.
However, the incredible architecture doesn’t stop at the leaning tower. After we took in the natural beauty of the tower we turned our attention to the other buildings, statues and monuments in the surrounding area. Since they weren’t quite as famous as the leaning tower of Pisa we didn’t know what the other buildings were until we came across some large signs with information. The signs explained that there are four main sites in Pisa and each one of them is an architectural masterpiece. There is the Pisa baptistry, the Pisa cathedral, the leaning tower and the Camposanto Monumentale.
The Pisa baptistry is the largest in Italy, it is dedicated to St. John and took almost two centuries to complete. The baptistry depicts the Romanesque style architecture on the lower half and transitions to the Gothic style in the upper sections because it took so long to complete. While it’s not nearly as noticeable as the tower the baptistry also leans but only by 0.6 degrees. It requires a separate ticket to enter but it can be purchased online as well.
The Pisa cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and considered sacred by the Catholic church. Similar to its counterparts while construction began in 1064 it was many years before the magnificent building became what it is today. The cathedral also represents the Romanesque style of architecture which symbolizes the strength and wealth of the maritime Republic of Pisa at the time. The interior of the cathedral is just as ornate and covered in original frescos.
The Camposanto Monumentale also known as the Monumental Cemetery was founded in 1277, making it the most recent edition of the four. Even though it is just a cemetery it too was decorated with detailed paintings of biblical scenes on the wall. Unfortunately, due to a fire in 1944 extensive damage was done to the cemetery but you can still visit what remains today.
For our quick trip, we found spending the afternoon in Pisa was just the perfect amount of time. We were able to walk around to look at all the monuments, learn a little along the way and stop for a bite to eat all before catching our evening train ride home. Overall, no matter what you decide to do with your time in Pisa you’ll be face to face with some astounding architecture and amazing history.